Skein holder



Patented Oct. 21, 1941 I ZCuya'hoga Falls, 'Ohio, assigno fsftoThe 'B."F. Goodrich Company, New "York, N. IY., "a corporation of New York Application October 24, 1940, Serial-No. 362,510

4 Claims.

This invention relates to :holders for .skeins and is especially useful in its application to holders for skeins of elastic yarn.

rHeretofore, skeins of elastic yarn or thread have usually been bound by strings before removal from the :reels for further handling or boxing .for shipping, the strings being woven through the skein vand tied. Such .aprocedure, though desirable to prevent tangling of the thread, yarn or other material of the skein, has been 'slow and tedious because .ofithe usual practice of manually weaving "the binding thread through the material of the skein andrmanually tying the two ends of the binding string. Also, when the .skeins have been unboxed or handling has been completed tothe point-where thaskeins are placed on swifts or otherwise placed :for unreeling of and further manipulation of :the material of the skein, the procedure :of manually unfasten'ing the binding strings, which haveabeen woven through the material of the skein, *has been slow and tedious. Or, if the -.unfastening oi the binding string has been effected with a sharp-edged'instrument, there has been the possibility of damage to the thread, yarn or other material of the skein.

It is desirable to increase the convenience of applying retaining devices to the skeinsyso as to The chief objects of the invention are to elimin nate or reduce the objectionable aspects of the prior procedure; to provide a holder for retaining the yarn, thread or other material of the skein in such a manner as to prevent tangling of said material during the removal of the skein from the reel and the subsequent handling thereof; to provide a holder that can be conveniently applied to the skeins and removed therefrom with a minimum expenditure of time; to provide a holder that can be removed from the skeins with a minimum danger of damage to the material of the skein; and to provide for simplicity of construction and economy of materials.

These and further objects will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a reel with a skein thereon, the skein having holders applied thereto, said holders being constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention.

Fig.7 2 :is :a :section on ,an'enlarged scale taken along the line -2-2 of Fig. 1.

:Fig. :3 :is=a perspective 'view of "the skein-holder.

fFig, -14 :is a view of a skein, having the skein holders applied thereto, the skeinbeing shown as :it appears after removal from the reel of Fig.1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective =view:of a modified-construction.

Yarn, thread ;or other like material, particularly elastic yarn, after being processed to its form :as yarn, thread, etc., is "usually spirally woundnn .a reel :such as that :shown at H in Fig. '1, in the form of a skein 10 for further handling. One or more skein holders 12, but preferably two :placed on opposite sides of the skein zlrll, are applied thereto to hold :the yarn, thread -:or other material of the skein and :prevent the itangling thereof. The holders l2, are applied before the skein .is removed from the reel, .as shown inIig, '1. The skein 1.0, with the skein holders 15.2, :12 attached thereto, is shown in :Fig. 64 as it :appears .:after removal from the reel, and during shipping :or further handling thereof.

in accordance with the invention we provide means in the :holder to partition the skein so that the lateral movement 'of'the strands of the skein will ibe :restricted to preventthe possibility o'f'itangling. i0ne particular form of 'theiinvention, as .shown :in Lllig's. 1 through 4, comprises a flexible band l4, preferably a strip of elastic webbing. The band I4 is equipped with suitable fasteners, such as ordinary snap fasteners I5. Means are attached to the flexible band or held thereby to partition the strands of the skein in a plurality of sections for the purpose as hereinabove described, said means being, for example, a suitably bent sheet metal stamping comprising a plate ll, from which a plurality of prongs I6, two in the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 through 4, are so bent as to enter the skein from one side and partition the same. Slots I8 are provided in the plate so that it may be slidably mounted on the flexible band, thereby combining simplicity of construction with adjustability if desired,

The plate H, the slots therein I8, and the prongs l6 desirably are so finished as to eliminate rough edges that might catch on the yarn, thread or other material of the skein.

The skein holder fasteners may be disposed at the outside circumference of the skein when the holders are originally attached to the skein while the skein is on the reel. By similarly positioning the fasteners at the outside of the skein when it is subsequently applied to a swift, the proper repositioning of the skein is facilitated so that objectionable twisting of the same and interference among the strands of the skein in unreeling will be avoided. Also, the free end of the yarn, thread or other material of the skein may be looped or loosely wrapped around one of the holders which may be distinctively marked to facilitate the act of locating said free end when desired.

A modified form of the invention, Fig, 5, comprises a single strip 20 of suitably bent, stiff material, such, for example, as a sheet metal stamping or a suitable plastic which is adopted to encircle the skein. The skein holder in this form includes a plurality of elements, such as the prongs 2|, 2| bent or otherwise formed so as to enter the skein from at least one side, preferably from two sides as illustrated, in a manner such that pairs of opposed prongs are provided to partition the skein for the purpose hereinabove described. The edges of the holder preferably are made smooth, and the holder may if desired be equipped with a suitable fastener, although the stiffness of the material may be utilized for retaining the holder in position.

In using the holder of the invention, with reference first to the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 4, the elastic band I4 and its prong elements l6, l6 are applied about the skein preferably before the skein is removed from the reel. The flexible band restricts movement of the strands of the skein and the prong elements enter and partition the skein to further restrict the movement of the strands by confining them to smaller zones, and assist in preventing the tangling of the strands when the skein is removed from the reel for subsequent handling. In the embodiment of the invention of Figs. 1 through 4, when mounted on the skein Fig, l and the elastic band is held by the fasteners l5, [5 under tension, it firmly holds the material of the skein under confining pressure.

When, after shipment and handling, the skein is subsequently positioned on a swift or other device from which it is to be unreeled, the skein holders are quickly and easily removed, and the skein is left with the strands thereof free from tangling and consequent interference during unreeling.

In the embodiment of Fig. 5 the single strip band 20 of metal or other suitably stiff material may be bent around the skein and will maintain a firm hold thereon due to the stiffness of the material of the skein holder. The prongs 2|, 2| bent from the band enter the skein and partition the same to the end of restricting movement of the strands in a manner similar to that of the prongs of the first embodiment.

Skein holders manufactured and used in accordance with the invention combine low cost and simplicity of manufacture with convenience, effectiveness and time-saving features in use.

Variations may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as it is defined by the following claims.

We claim:

1. A skein holder comprising elastic band means for holding the skein, said means having at least one stiff prong member slidably mounted on said band means and projecting therefrom in a manner to enter the skein and partition the same.

2. A skein holder comprising an elastic band having suitable fasteners to hold the band upon the skein, said band having slidably mounted thereon a plate of stiff material having at least one prong bent therefrom in a manner to enter the skein and partition the same.

3. A holder for a skein of strand material subject to entanglement of the strand material within the skein, said holder comprising band means for encircling the skein and having means projecting from the band means for entering the skein between the strands thereof for partitioning the skein into smaller groups of the strands and thereby reducing the range of movement of the strands within the skein.

4. A holder for a skein of strand material subject to entanglement of the strand material within the skein, said holder comprising a band of elastic material for encircling the skein, fastening means therefor, and an element of relatively stiff material slidably mounted on the band means, said element having a projection thereon for entering the skein between the strands thereof for partitioning the skein into smaller groups of the strands and thereby reducing the range of movement of the strands within the skein.

LEONARD A. WIGGINS. ROBERT PATTERSON. 

